Stories from

Bryce Rogers, a Genesee County Youth Court Member, was one of the 48 Youth Court members who applied for the Association of New York State Youth Courts Scholarship. The ANYSYC awarded two scholarships and Bryce was awarded one of them.

To qualify for the ANYSYC scholarship,the youth court member must be a graduating senior and a member of a Youth Court Program that paid membership dues to ANYSYC in 2014. The applicant must enroll in a two or four year program at an accredited college/university. The individual must be of good moral character, have demonstrated civic responsibility through volunteerism, and have a good strong desire to make a contribution to his/her community.

The process included an application, an essay includingeducational goals, career goals, why they are deserving of this scholarship,and what being a member of a Youth Court has done for them, along with two letters of recommendation.

On behalf of ANYSYC, Bryce was awarded $500 to put toward his college education where he will attend American University and dual-major in International Relations and Economics while concentrating in foreign policy and national security.

From Cornell Cooperative Extension in Batavia:

We are pleased to present a free on-farm event focused on pre-harvest considerations for corn silage and haylage. This is all made possible by the generous support of local farm equipment companies and agribusinesses. The date is Wednesday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mulligan Farms, Avon.

Our lead-off speakers in the morning will be Ev Thomas and Tom Kilcer. Together they have almost 80 years of research and teaching experience in the area of field crops.

An off-the-grill lunch will be followed by a short presentation and Q & A session by the each of the dealers representing the four major brands of forage harvesters.

These machine will be on site for your inspection and talking point clarification by service representatives.
 
No RSVP needed. No tours of the farm, PLEASE!

(Drew Monti courtesy of Monti and Jeff Zamaiko.)

By Tim Bojarski, Batavia Downs Media Relations

Batavia Downs is pleased to announce that popular local reinsman, “Driving” Drew Monti, will be featured as a bobble head to be given away on Saturday Sept. 5.

"When we first started discussing this project last year, we spoke with our customers to see who they would like to see used as the focus of this promotion and the overwhelming response was "Driving Drew" said Todd Haight, general manager/director of Live Racing at Batavia Downs.

"He started driving here at 18 just a few years ago but his career has taken off and he has obviously become a fan favorite. And as popular as bobble heads are in the sport right now, we are very excited for this promotion."

The 20-year-old Monti came on the driving scene in 2013, scoring his first pari-mutuel win in April of that year. He was the top first-year provisional driver in North America in 2013 and he has progressed at a torrid pace ever since.    

Last year Monti won 170 races, $886,461 in purses and hit the board over 40% of the time. So far in 2015, he is on pace for career high numbers all around as he already has 146 wins and $753,078 in purses through Wednesday (July 29).

During his short three-year career, Monti has amassed 393 wins and $2 million in earnings with a combined year-to-year UDR of .252. He is definitely poised to make a run at the driving title at Batavia Downs this meet.  

One of the more popular young drivers in social media and chat in the Harness Racing Fan Zone, Monti is an example of what the next generation of horseman is all about. While balancing his racing career and education at the same time, Monti will be entering his fourth year at Canisius College this fall as he pursues his BA in business.

The “Driving” Drew Monti bobble heads are sponsored by TAG Jewelers (www.tagjewelers.com ) of 936 Dick Road in Cheektowaga, NY. TAG Jewelers has been Western New York’s most trusted fine metals broker since 1977.

Tony Gruppo is the owner of TAG Jewelers and has been and owner and strong supporter of harness racing in the Western New York region for decades.

"I can remember coming to Batavia Downs with my friends on the weekend's while attending nearby Brockport State College over forty years ago" said Gruppo.

"The track has always been a part of my life, so when Todd (Haight) approached me about this promotion it was a natural fit for me. Drew Monti is a rising star and a fine young man. I think you will be seeing more of him on a bigger stage in the near future."

Distribution of the “Driving” Drew Monti bobble heads will begin immediately after the seventh race on Saturday (Sept. 5) in the Paddock Room. There is a limit of one per person and are available while supplies last. You must be a Players Club member to receive this premium.

Fans wishing to get their bobble heads signed by Monti are urged to bring them back to the track the following day during the Labor Day matinee. Driving Drew will be trackside for an hour before the first race to greet his fans and sign the statuettes.

This is the third bobble head issued by Batavia Downs. Previously, perennial New York Sire Stakes leading driver Jim Morrill Jr. was honored as was NFL Hall of Famer and Buffalo Bills great, Thurman Thomas. Thomas is featured in Batavia Downs “34 Rush” sports bar, which is located on the gaming floor.

(Bobble head photo courtesy of Batavia Downs.)

(Photo courtesy of Paul White.)

By Tim Bojarski, Batavia Downs Media Relations

It seemed like a stroll in the park on an 86-degree summer night for Kellys Cross as she totally overpowered a solid field of Open II pacing mares in Wednesday night’s (July 29) feature at Batavia Downs.

As the wings closed, the speedy Voltina (Jack Flanigen) bolted to the lead, but not before getting rimmed to the quarter by rail-rider Real Joy (Drew Monti) in 27.4. After she took, Real Joy came right back at her and the two continued to argue to the half.

At that point, Downs defending driving champion, Kevin Cummings pulled Kellys Cross from third and circled the dispute as the girls passed the three-quarters. From there the pair opened up a six-length advantage and coasted home in 29.1 with the victory never in doubt.

Kellys Cross tripped the timer in 1:55.1 and paid $11.40 to her backers. It was the fastest win time ever over a half-mile track for the 4-year-old Royal Mattjesty progeny. It was also the fifth win of the year for the mare that competes under the guidance of trainer John Mungillo for owner Frank Spagnolo.  

Drivers scoring doubles on the card included Jim McNeight (who registered the natural daily double in races one and two), Kevin Cummings, John Cummings Jr. and Dave McNeight III.

Batavia Downs also hosted its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, NY (bccr.org ). Each of the eleven races was sponsored by groups who made donations to the fund and presented blankets to the winners after each race. There was also a silent auction and raffle that was held during the night, with winners announced before the last race.

The effort raised $5,200 that will go to BCCR to help find a cure and eradicate this scourge to women everywhere.

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (July 31) night at 6:35.

The Class of 1975 at Le Roy High School held its 40th reunion at the Knights of Columbus hall on Friday, July 17th. The group had not been together as a class in 20 years. There were 57 class members who attended, some brought a guest.

The committee had extended an invitation to anyone who was ever part the Class of 1975 to join them; therefore an ad was placed in the Le Roy PennySaver. As a result the attendance was larger than anticipated. The attendees spent the evening catching up and sharing memories.

Paul Zimmerman, who started the ball rolling for the reunion, had copied all senior photos and they were hung on the wall for all to see.

Other committee members who added their talents to the event were: Jamie Calmes, Sue Savoy Maher, Jean Curry Penepent, Laura Stefani Platt, Judy McWilliams Guminiak, and June Englerth Wallace.

Mr. Reed, class advisor, and Mr. Crowe, teacher, joined the class and some wonderful memories were shared. Mr. Reed gave a short speech and congratulated us on becoming fine adults.

A card was read from another of our class advisors, Mrs. Hermance Sherwood. She wrote, "Congratulations on your class reunion! The Class of 1975 was one of the best at LHS." Mrs. Hermance Sherwood also shared that she had so many fond memories of all the kids from the Class of 1975.

Copies of the Red & Black (the HS newsletter of the time) were available for all to read and reminisce over. Jane Heaman Darocha surprised us all with crystal-clear, original, black and white photos taken by the year book staff in 1975 that were in her basement all these 40 years.

Jane was the editor of the O-at-kan in 1975. George Henry read aloud the Senior Class Prophecy written in 1975 as well as a letter from Jeanette Downie, our exchange student from Australia, who was happy to extend an open-invitation to the class to come visit her Down Under!

A memorial table in the front of the hall was dedicated to the memory of the five deceased classmates. Framed photos of each were placed behind five, red votive candles. They remained illuminated all evening.

The next morning several of the class members joined together one last time to decorate and ride their float in the Oatka Festival Parade. “It was a truly memorable weekend,” Laura Stefani Platt said.

“We had such a wonderful time reconnecting that our class is planning two informal gatherings: Nov. 7, 2015 and May 7, 2016. They will be potluck dinners at my home,” Platt said. “Our class will always be remembered as a class with few cliques we all were truly lifetime friends."

The class has also started a Facebook page "Le Roy Class of 1975." The Internet enabled the class to find most of their members, some folks had not seen each other since graduation. Overall, the weekend was a huge success, it was a great time with great people and good food.

The class also collected $285 that will be given to the “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty Fund.”

(Harness driver Shawn Gray)

By Tim Bojarski, president-UNY USHWA

Akron, NY---Harness driver Shawn Gray was spotted at Plainridge Park, just south of Boston on Monday (July 27), but he wasn’t there plying his trade. Instead he was in the grandstand with friends, watching the races and working on getting better.

Gray made the stop on his way back home to Maine where he planned to spend some time recuperating from a racing accident that occurred earlier this month.

In the last race at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday (July 15), Gray was sitting fourth at the rail just past the quarter when the horse in front of him made a break. Gray grabbed the mare he was driving to go around, but she also ran and then stuck her toes. This caused trailing horses to pile into Gray, who eventually got thrown to the ground.

When the dust settled, several other drivers were shaken up, but Gray laid unconscious on the track. He was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and placed in ICU for three days.

“I had a pretty good concussion; my brain was bleeding. They monitored it every day to make sure it was under control and it was just wait and see for a while. My memory has been really messed up ever since. I don’t remember the accident or anything that happened before it” Gray said. “The only thing I do remember is waking up in the hospital and wanting to get the heck out of there.”

Gray was kept in ICU under observation from Wednesday until Saturday, when he was put in a regular room. Although his head injury was the most serious, Gray also suffered general bruising over his body, a broken knuckle on his right hand, a leg injury from being stepped on and he bit his tongue.   

“Even though I have been getting better over the last week, I still have a problem thinking of people’s names; even people that I’ve known for 20 years. It just takes a second” Gray explained.

“Yesterday (July 27) was the best day I’ve had since the wreck, but today was not quite as good as yesterday, but not bad. The best way I can describe the way I feel right now is like a real, real sharp hangover. Kind of dizzy, my head hurts and my balance is not 100 percent.”

Gray’s next doctor appointment is Monday (Aug 3) to determine the progress he has made towards returning to work. The hope is to get cleared to start back jogging and eventually get back behind the gate. But Gray remains guarded, saying he’ll know when the time is right.   

“We’ll see what the Doc says Monday; I can’t do anything until I get the green light from him. But even if he did say I was alright to go right now, I just wouldn’t feel comfortable driving.”

Gray’s plans are to race at Batavia Downs when he returns and for the foreseeable future. His horses are there being trained by his crew under his watchful eye. Everyone in the business who knows Shawn Gray is looking forward to him getting well and getting back in the bike soon.

“I just want to say that I really appreciate all the calls and texts I have gotten from everybody since this incident happened. I haven’t answered all of them because I just haven’t felt like talking a whole lot until a couple of days ago” Gray concluded.

Shawn Gray finished third in the driver standings at Buffalo Raceway with 123 wins, even though he missed the final two weeks of racing due to the accident.

Field to Fork Feast: A Five Course Showcase of Our Local Agricultural Riches, designed by Chef Selby Davis & Prepared by D&R Depot
When: Thursday, Sept. 3, at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Stein Farm's Field on Hebbard Road, Le Roy
Cost: $100/ticket (Limited to the first 100 paid reservations)

*Please contact Samantha Vagg ASAP for more information and to reserve your seat:  svagg@bhcg.com

Press release from Cornell Cooperative Extension in Batavia:

Fayetteville, NY – The Farmers Market Federation of NY, in partnership with SUNY Cobleskill and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, is pleased to announce the first ever Farmers Market Managers Professional Certification Course to kickoff Nov. 10th to 12th on the SUNY Cobleskill Campus: FMM PRO.

This program will create New York State’s first Market Manager Certification designation and will be recognized through the SUNY system.

The FMM PRO course curriculum will include all aspects of maintaining and growing a successful farmers market given in 22 workshops covering three main topics:
1.    Nuts and Bolts of Managing Markets

2.    Reaching Out to the Market Community

3.    Building Market Systems

Program participants who complete the full curriculum will be receive certificates signed by the three partnering agencies and will have earned the title of Certified Market Manager. As a SUNY FMM PRO Certified Market Manager, graduates of the program will:
·         Be fully knowledgeable in today’s best practices for managing farmers markets;

·         Learn tactics to expand and optimize their farmers market;

·         Be equipped to build successful relationships with farmers and shoppers;

·         Be able to use their certification to leverage funding and support for their market.

The cost of the SUNY Farmers Market Managers Professional Certification will be an affordable $200 for 12 months of access to the online curriculum.  Participants will need to complete all 22 sessions within this time frame, including submitting a quiz and assignment from each section for review in order to receive certification. In addition, they will need to earn two continuing-education credits bi-annually by attending special sessions at the Federation’s annual Farmers Market Managers Conference and/or specified manager training webinars in order to keep their Certification active.

Nov. 10th to 12th a conference to be held at SUNY Cobleskill, will be used to launch the development of the course. This will replace the Farmers Market Federation’s Annual Conference that normally takes place in late winter, with the regular conference schedule resuming in early 2017. The schedule will include an intense three days of workshops, tours of the SUNY Cobleskill Ag Facilities, and an opportunity to network with market managers from around the state.

The workshops will be recorded and used to form the full online curriculum for the FMM PRO Certification Program and will be placed on Moodle.com, an online learning platform, under the sponsorship of Cornell University. SUNY Cobleskill students will have the unique opportunity to become New York State’s next generation of farmers market managers. As space is available, the three-day conference will be free to enrolled students who use their student meal.

Attendees of the Nov. 10th to 12th conference will have a jump start on their official Farmers Market Manager Certification as they will not need to view the sessions they participated in at the conference on Moodle. In addition, for each day they participated fully in the conference, each participant will receive a $25 voucher toward the cost of the online FMM Pro Certification Course.

Interested parties can register for the conference here: http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/fmmpropay/ by paying online or mailing in the registration form with a check made out to the Farmers Market Federation of NY. FMM Pro Certification registration will be made available at a later date.

All mail-in conference registrations must be received by Nov. 4th after which registrations can only be made on the website above and will be subject to a $10 per day walk-in fee.

For more information on the content of the sessions, agenda, hotel information and directions, visit: http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/fmmpro or contact deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com.

FMM PRO is funded by a grant from Governor Cuomo’s Fresh Connect Program, as part of the Governor’s initiative to build bridges between Upstate NY and Downstate NY, as well as build connections between consumers and NYS agriculture.

Brandie L. Schultz
Administrative Assistant
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County
420 E. Main St.
Batavia NY 14020
Phone: (585) 343-3040, ext. 101
Fax: (585) 343-1275
http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/

(Posterity (Lucky Chucky-Vintage Ship))

By Tim Bojarski, Batavia Downs Media Relations

Four divisions of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) 2-year-old trotting fillies went postward on opening night (7-27) at Batavia Downs and as a result the first record of the season just missed being broken. The track proved lightning fast as three of the four divisions set lifetime marks.

Posterity (Lucky Chucky-Vintage Ship) took full advantage of an early break by favored Winning Princess (Jim Morrill Jr.) to wire the field and post a 1:59.1 victory, which was only one-fifth of a second off the track record set by Dreamy Dawn in 2010.

Charlie Norris, who both trains and drives the filly, left sharp and set even fractions en route to an easy three and one-half length decision. The winning time was a new lifetime mark and the second win in three starts this year for Posterity, who paid $7.

Posterity is owned by Carrie Norris, Janine Zito and Jerry Buck Sprinkle.

(Lima Playtime (Credit Winner-Pacific Legacy))

In the first division, Lima Playtime (Credit Winner-Pacific Legacy) was an easy coast to coast winner who led the field by open lengths the whole race. Driver Rick Zeron seemed to have a gas pedal at his disposal after they passed three-quarters in 1:32.1; that’s when the mare sped away from the group to come home in an impressive 28.3 and take a new lifetime mark of 2:00.4. The even-money favorite returned $4.20.

Zeron trains and co-owns Lima Playtime with Millar Farms, James Walker and Paul Fisher.

The second division saw a dominant winner displaced due to interference by her coupled entry.

Goosebump Hanover (RC Royalty-Good Common Cents) and Jim Morrill Jr. wasted no time getting the lead before setting speedy fractions of 28.4, 58.4 and 1:29.4 into the far turn. The entry on the ticket, Steel Wheels (Lucky Chucky-Some Girls) and Gates Brunet pulled off the rail from third to take a shot at the leader. But shortly after that move, she made a break and interfered with trailing horses.

After the heavily favored Goosebump Hanover pulled away to an easy five-length victory, the inquiry sign went up, and the winner came down due to the interference by the coupled horse. Second place finisher, Credit To Thelimit (Credit Winner-Prize Angie) and driver Sam Schillaci were then declared the winner ($23.80).

Credit To Thelimit is also trained by Schillaci for owners Matthew Bencic, Peter Barbato, Sam Bova and Jodi Schillaci.  

(Dizzy Broad (Broad Bahn-Portia))

In the final split, Dizzy Broad (Broad Bahn-Portia) proved last week’s win was no fluke as she set a new lifetime mark of 2:00.4 while registering a four-length decision over her six competitors.

Lindylicious (Credit Winner-Scrumptious Lindy) flew off the wings for Chris Lems and went right to the front before leading for almost three-quarters of the race. But when the field was headed up the backside, driver Kevin Cummings pulled Dizzy Broad from third and appeared to fly past Lindylicious to take the lead. From that point on the only thing in question was how much the filly would win by.

Dizzy Broad, who is owned and trained by Noel Daley, returned $9.10 to her backers.

There were also two divisions of the NYSS Excelsior A series on the card and the both also proved to be career best efforts for the winners.

Take The Cash (Cash Hall-Take The Lid Off) driven by Jim Morrill Jr. scored her first career victory in 2:01.4 and returned $4.60. Take The Cash is trained by Perry Simser, who co- owns the filly with Clifford Morcom, Richard Kaplan and Salvatore Corcione.

In the second leg, Barn Diva (Conway Hall-Misty Ridge) captured her second straight career win while also stopping the timer in 2:01.4. The winner, who returned $4.30, is trained and co-owned by Steve Pratt with Nancy Pratt and the Purple Haze Stable.

Racing resumes tonight (7-29) at Batavia Downs with the first post set for 6:35.